Full containment of most Northern California wildfires expected Friday

In early October 2017, wildfires devastated communities northern California, including Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties. See the faces of those we've lost >>

In early October 2017, wildfires devastated communities northern California, including Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties. See the faces of those we've lost >>

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Victims of the October 2017 Wine Country Fires

Karen Aycock, 54

Aycock loved animals, perhaps more than people, her friends said. “Even if she knew there was a fire, she more than likely would have perished trying to rescue them,” said Chad Hinden, Aycock’s friend and former roommate. “She wouldn’t leave the house without her animals.”

Mrs. Berriz died in the arms of her husband, Armando, as they clung to each other in the swimming pool of their rented house in Santa Rosa. Mrs. Berriz had been vacationing with her family at a home on Crystal Court when they were awakened by the fire, jumping into the pool with her husband to escape the flames. Mr. Berriz survived with severe burns.Read more

Sally Eaves Lewis, 90, independent businesswoman, formidable fisher and hunter, and mother of two, spent much of her life at her home on Soda Canyon Road in Napa. On Oct. 8, however, the fires roaring across the region moved too fast. Ms. Lewis was killed, along with her caregiver, Teresa Santos, 50.

Mr. Grant died with his wife, Suiko, early Monday when the Tubbs Fire tore through northern Santa Rosa. Daughter Trina Grant said her father had served as a lieutenant in the Navy and trained as a fighter pilot in World War II. After the war, he flew for Pan Am as a commercial pilot and retired after 25 years of service.

Mrs. Grant died with her husband, Arthur, when they were unable to escape their home in the Mark West Springs Road area of Santa Rosa. The couple had met in Honolulu when Mr. Grant was flying as a commercial pilot for Pan Am. “It was a true love-at-first-sight story,” said their daughter Trina Grant.

Mrs. Halbur was found with her husband, LeRoy, in their parked car, trapped in the garage of their charred Sonoma home. The couple had been married for 50 years, and is survived by a son, Dave, and their grandchildren.

Mr. Halbur died with his wife, Donna, as they attempted to flee their Sonoma home. A retired accountant, Mr. Halbur helped found the Catholic charitable organization St. Vincent de Paul in Sonoma County in 1968. He was a warm, compassionate man with a sense of humor.

Ms. Hanson had faced many challenges in life, including being born with a spinal birth defect that limited her mobility and losing her mother at age 9. Despite her hardships, Ms. Hanson was “a very happy, social and positive person,” said her stepmother, Jennifer Watson.

Mr. Hoefer died after suffering an asthma attack triggered by the smoke from the Wine Country wildfires. Mr. Hoefer, she said, had tried to call his physician for help, but his doctor’s office had burned down. The nearest hospitals had been evacuated, and the roads to the other medical centers were difficult to traverse. In a last-ditch attempt, Mr. Hoefer went to a nearby pharmacy, but could not find the help he needed there either.

McCombs died in her home on Mark West Springs Road early Oct. 9, unable to escape the flames of the Tubbs Fire, despite repeated efforts by family to come and retrieve her. “She devoted her life to the love and care of our family and her community,” son Branden McCombs said.

McReynolds was an intellectual whose pursuits reached far beyond her medical textbooks and into the expanses of the American West, where she grew up. “She was a great sister,” Janelle McKinley, 78, of Nevada City (Nevada County). “She was like a third parent and a best friend."

Paiz died when the private firefighting water truck he was driving careened off the steep Oakville Grade road in Napa County near Highway 29 around 7 a.m. on Monday October 16, 2017. Officials said it wasn’t clear what caused the accident, but fatigue from long hours of working the fire may have been a factor.

Mrs. Powell was a musician and dog lover who had recently survived a grueling battle with mouth cancer. “She always had my back,” said her husband, George. “She tried to make life OK for me, regardless of what she was going through.”

Mr. Rippey was found with his wife, Sara, in the charred ruins of their Westgate Drive home in Napa. Mr. Rippey was a World War II veteran, later working for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and Norris Industries in Brea (Orange County). He and his wife had grown up together in Wisconsin, and had lived in Napa for 35 years.

Mrs. Rippey was found with her husband, Charles, in what was left of their Napa home. The couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in March, and over the years was often spotted at the Napa Valley Country Club playing tennis and golf. Sara and her husband are survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Kai Logan Shepherd was an energetic and athletic 14-year-old who’d befriend anyone. But Kai was unable to escape the flames of the Redwood Valley fire as it ripped through his neighborhood. His sister, Kressa, who was badly burned, died three weeks after the wildfires according to a family member.

Dornbach loved the rugged, rolling hills of northern Napa County — the quiet, the isolation, and the way the stars shone bright at night, piercing the sky between the dark cover of oak and laurel trees.

Mrs. Evans was known for her fierce love of animals. She kept horses, goats, dogs, a mule and a steer at her house on Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa. “We knew her as the horse lady,” said Tracy Long, who was Mrs. Evans’ neighbor for 25 years.

This undated photo provided by Irma Muniz shows the Shepherd family, Jon and Sara Shepherd and their children, Kressa and Kai.

This undated photo provided by Irma Muniz shows the Shepherd family, Jon and Sara Shepherd and their children, Kressa and Kai.

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Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman walks through a home destroyed by fire on Tomki Road in Redwood Valley on Oct. 10.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman walks through a home destroyed by fire on Tomki Road in Redwood Valley on Oct. 10.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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A sports car destroyed by fire remains parked off Tomki Road in Redwood Valley, Calif. on Tuesday Oct. 10, 2017. Authorities have reported at least three people have died and 50 residences have been destroyed by the Redwood Complex Fire. less

A sports car destroyed by fire remains parked off Tomki Road in Redwood Valley, Calif. on Tuesday Oct. 10, 2017. Authorities have reported at least three people have died and 50 residences have been destroyed ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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An AT&T repair crew begins to rebuild communication lines on Tomki Road in Redwood Valley, Calif. on Tuesday Oct. 10, 2017. Authorities have reported at least three people have died and 50 residences have been destroyed by the Redwood Complex Fire. less

An AT&T repair crew begins to rebuild communication lines on Tomki Road in Redwood Valley, Calif. on Tuesday Oct. 10, 2017. Authorities have reported at least three people have died and 50 residences have been ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Rubble after fire, Oct. 10, 2017

Rubble after fire, Oct. 10, 2017

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Full containment of most Northern California wildfires expected Friday

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The second deadliest of a series of destructive Northern California wildfires was fully contained Thursday as firefighters worked to have most of the fires, including those still smoldering in the North Bay, completely corralled by Friday, officials said.

Nineteen days after it started, the Redwood Valley Fire, which killed eight people in Mendocino County and burned through an estimated 36,523 acres, was 100 percent contained, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced Thursday morning.

Full containment means crews have ringed a fire with control lines to stop it from spreading. The Redwood Valley Fire is the latest deadly Northern California wildfire to be contained since multiple blazes broke out during a windstorm on Oct. 8, killing at least 42, destroying thousands of homes and prompting about 100,000 people to evacuate.

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The cleanup is now getting underway in the North Bay following October's deadly and destructive firestorm.
Now, crews in Santa Rosa and other places in wine country have begun the task of surveying and removing toxic materials left after the wildfir

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The Cascade Fire in Yuba County, which accounted for four deaths, was the first fire to reach full containment on Oct. 18.

Fires across the region are approaching full containment. The Atlas Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties was 97 percent contained. The 51,624-acre fire claimed six lives, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters in Sonoma County, where 23 people died, are still seeking to contain three wildfires in the area, including the deadliest of them all, the Tubbs Fire. Full containment on the Tubbs, which killed 22 people after starting near Calistoga in Napa County and sweeping through Sonoma County, is expected to be achieved on Friday, Cal Fire officials said. It was 95 percent contained on Thursday.

The Pocket and Nuns fires in Sonoma and Napa counties were 94 percent contained Thursday morning. Cal Fire estimates full containment also will be reached Friday.